Tandem Miles

We went out on the tandem today, heading for the Cafe de Lune.  By the shortest route, it is about 40 milers.  Unfortunately, from Pilling, it is about 10 miles of quite busy roads, it is a popular motorbike route and a scenic back road to Lancaster.  We decided to try and find a back route to Glasson Dock.  It was a beautiful morning, sunny with a slight tail wind.  We got out to Cockerham in record time and pulled off onto the road out across the salt marsh.  Suddenly, the slight tail wind turned into a huge head wind.  We struggled down to the parachute centre only to find it a dead end.  Then round turned back and headed to a different farm, to find no road but a possible footpath.  We pushed down the path for 15 minutes or so until we came out on another road, all looking good.  We headed inland then had a choice out back out to the coast or further inland.  We chose the coast.  Wrong!  After doubling back into the wind, we found the road back to Glasson Dock.  Lots of swans and a model aeroplane club.  Then onto the bike path to Cafe de Lune.  We must have seen about 15 tandems out, including one group of about 10. 

The cafe was mobbed.  Ribble Valley had arrived a bit before us and filled the place.  We got a seat outside, but the sun had gone and the wind was rising.  The Ribble guys left and we move inside, much to the confusion of the staff.  Heading home was into the wind and much slower.  After a tea cake stop at Bonds, we finally got home with 51 miles under the belt.  The farthest we’ve done on the tandem in many years, probably before we had the boys (15 years!).  Jayne is a bit stiff and sore and tired.  (don’t ask about her bottom!)

Yesterday I went mountain biking with Simon.  He was on his new Orange P7 singlespeed, a very nice bike.  We set off up to the Lakes in steady drizzle.  It didn’t lift all the way up.  We were riding it the Cartmell Fells area.  The start (in the rain) was a couple of miles of rolling road.  Then it was up a steep grassy climb, typical Lakes with grass, mud and exposed bed rock.  After a few wrong turns, we hit the fantastic downhill section.  I was really pleased with how I rode it, but I had too much air in my rear tyre and not enough in my rear shock.  It was still good though.  and nice to be out with Simon.  It never stopped raining though, until we stopped riding, when the sun came out.

The rest of the week was fairly quiet, but i got 70 miles in on the Pompino.

All in all quite a good week.

Total for the week – 134

Total for year to date – 932

Cheers

Tim